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Friday, March 15, 2019

Duggars and Cats

"My family had many cats, dogs. My mom has such a spot in her heart for animals. My mom was constantly bringing animals home."-Jinger Duggar Vuolo

What do the Duggars think about pets, particularly cats? Jinger and Jeremy recently adopted a pet cat, and they love him so much that Jeremy is willing to suffer through his allergic reactions. Some of the other siblings, however, aren't as thrilled about cats. They share their thoughts in the video below.

Me too! We actually had to stop all people with pets from even visiting. No way could we risk cat dander getting in our home or on our couch, though we have a fast rule....we do not wear shoes in our house and take a shower immediately upon entering our home if we were out in public. Cat dander is very sticky and even non pet homes carry it in on clothing and shoes after being out. Our cat allergy is so bad, our throats close up and we are forced to go to the hospital, and now carry epi-pens in case we come into contact with a furry pet or any known allergy. We even custom built our house to avoid pets and keep a very strict allergy free home, as the 8 of us in my house have way more then just cat allergies, sadly. And some of us even have asthma....ugh. But the positive part, our house is incredibly clean and fresh as every room is spotless because we have nearly 2 dozen air cleaners running 24/7. So thats a plus!!!! 😉

I grew up with cats and dogs. I had a beloved cat that I thought I could never part with. When my first child was 9 months old and started crawling I gave away Sterling a silver tabby. I chose my baby and her cleanliness over a cat. I knew she’d be able to reach the litter box and that was not gonna happen. (And she started grabbing at the cat and his tail end). In fact I refused to change litter during pregnancy because of that toxin in pet urine that can be deadly to a growing fetus. 4 kids now and we have an outside dog. No like!! 100 pound Rottweiler is what hubby chose of all the dogs available. Choose a pet free household I think it makes life so much easier. taking a vacation is hard with no one to watch the dog. Hubby says guard dogs are necessary where we live. We’ve had theft twice off our carport and had to enclose it. So I’m dealing! ((Wish he had gotten a golden doodle or a standard poodle))

There is no toxin in pet urine that kills fetuses. You are thinking of toxoplasmosis, a parasite that lives in the "solid waste" of cats who are allowed outside to hunt, or (mostly) in undercooked contaminated meat that the human consumes. I've raised children and indoor cats together and had no problems with that parasite. The litter boxes go in corners where children don't, or in closed rooms with pet doors. Cats can usually outrun a crawling baby and not get touched if they don't want to be. Otherwise I taught respect and gentle treatment for the cats, and things were fine. Much safer than a 100 lb. dog!

I hope you don't have any pets with that attitude. You made a commitment to be responsible for the health and wellbeing of your pet if you choose to bring it into your household. While not a human, it does become part of the family.

I have a 14 year old cat. I don't have a lot of human family. That cat has woken me up when I was septic after surgery and when my blood sugar was dangerously low, he is family. I love him and he loves me, he is loyal and the best friend I have ever had. I am sorry you have never known the love of a pet family member.

Once I had a family member who slept next to me every single night. When tragedy and incredible grief struck my life, this family member provided security, attention, purpose and unconditional love. This family member knew when I was happy or sad and always attended to my needs. The only thing he requested in return was a meal, some water and a warm place to rest. While others judged me or while I was burdened with criticism, this family member didn't care at all. He merely wanted to be with me...for 22 years. And yes this family member was my cat. He has treated me far better than many people in my life. And for the record... God sent him to me.

Emily: I disagree. While you may not consider pets family members, many people do. It's all about one's perspective and experience. Pets often times provide unconditional love and affection that is not always the case with human family members. And I don't think God has rules about it.

Emily you are so wrong. My 2 adult children bought me a beautiful cross rag doll/main coon kitten last year to keep me company as they were both away at university. This little girl has become my fur baby & I adore her. When I have had a tough day at work she is there for me as soon as I walk in the door, if I’m unwell she lies with me licking my hand. She is very much a family member in every sense of the word. Most people who have pets consider them as family & for many infertile couples a cat or dog maybe the only “baby” they ever have, & can be a godsend to them. All my little girl asks in return for the unconditional love she gives me is a bowl of food, some water & a comfy bed. How many human family members ask so little of us ?

Fuzzyferet, I beg you to take your year old kitten to a vet hospital that can do echocardiograms and get her heart imaged. Both Rag Dolls and Maine Coons are genetically prone to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a silent killer. You should echo at about a year old and then again at two years old. If both echos show no thickening of the heart wall, you should be OK. The only way to test for potential HCM is with the echo. The gene test breeders have used in the past is unreliable. Your vet will probably not be able to detect HCM coming on by stethoscope alone, and there are usually no symptoms until the cat collapses in cardiac arrest, often before age 5.

Both of those are great breeds otherwise, but you have to know if you're at danger of suddenly losing the cat at a young age to HCM. Unfortunately, it's becoming more prevalent in those breeds. They're working on a new gene screening test, but in the meantime, the echocardiogram must be done. Ask your vet.

Emily, I feel bad for you.If you never had the love of pets. My dogs and cats are a part of our family. I call them my four legged children.They give unconditional love for so little. All animals deserve the love and respect of humans. My daughter and now my grandson are taught this. Dogs and cats are gifts from God.

If my entire family and extended family (probably a dozen or more of us) is an example, (we only got more severely allergic after having pets) its likely his allergy will only get worse. Its also unlikely his allergues will improve. Anyone who has severe allergies can attest, having a fulltime sinus infection and allergy symptons is not worth having a pet. Jinger will eventually have to choose the health of her husband over the cat. I love pets, but allergies can be serious and are awful to live with, and hopefully their daughter does not take after her Dad. Pray Jinger sees how sick hubby gets or that Jeremy has a miraculous healing. Take care of yourself Jeremy.

Only saying that as Jinger was the one who brought him home. Now, if he is ok with the cat, then this is a choice he is making. In the end, his health is his responsibility and whatever they choose is their choice as a couple.

I can’t even go into a home where the dogs have free reign all over the couch and carpet. Absolutely ruins your home which is your sanctuary for your children and family. Stinks to high heaven but the owners are used to it. Not to mention those little grievous barking yapping dogs everybody has nowadays. Adds more stress than you can imagine. My moms always screaming at her cat “get off the counter top!!!”. Put the animals outside where they belong!!! I quit going to my moms I don’t wanna deal with 4 cats and the pet hair , pet urine smell. Disgusting. Not an environment I want to take my family into

Yes pet smells in homes are strong. People who have pets dont smell it, surpringly. When I had pets I never smelled them, now that I dont anymore, oh my....the smell can be overpowering to the point you can smell it as soon as the door opens to anyone who has pets. It does not matter either how well the house is cleaned, or even in homes that are sparkling clean, the pet smell is still noticeable and very strong. People too each have their own distinct smell, pets do too, add in household odors, maybe issues in the house like mold, mustiness, etc..then you have a pesonal smell of a persons home. We have many air cleaners, all unscented products, use only vinegar and water...and just 4 lizards as pets...my house most say, wow your house is so clean and fresh smelling...but you know what, after I have been out at the beach in truly fresh air guess what happens? I drive home and realize yes my house is not terible smelling, but compared to true fresh air, my house stinks!!!! And ironically, I live in a house We had built for our family, no furry pet has ever been in here but still...

"Put the animals outside where they belong" - ???? What are you supposed to do in the winter? Let your animal freeze to death?

People stink up houses just as badly as pets do @12:58. Bathroom smells, cooking smells, baby smells, dirty laundry... If the house smells like pet urine then it's the owner's fault. They're not cleaning as quickly or as much as they should, or the pet has a medical problem that's being ignored.

If I hear one of my cats in the litter box, I stand there with the scoop waiting for him to finish and then that stuff is bagged and out to the trash can immediately. The litter boxes are changed and washed out with bleach every single day then relined and filled with new litter. Yes it's a lot of work and expense but it comes with owning cats.

I own both cats and dogs. 1258 and 1227 I feel sorry for both of you.1258 one of these days your mother's going to be gone, and what reason would you give for not visiting her house, she had cats......1227 to not have the love of a pet because you "think" they make a house smell. Well, I have 2 yappy dogs, a couple black cats. Would rather have them then people that don't like animals. Remember one thing when visiting people with furbabies, thr furbabies live there you don't.

5:46 pm, yes you should feel sorry for me because I can not have fury babies. I would love to have them so you know. Yes they do smell, but as I said, so do people, but in our case, its either pets or an ER visit for most everyone in our family due to life threatening allergies...why I said I can smell pets at someones door. And yes, because pets are there, I can not visit many peole. But your right, it is their home, NOT mine. But when your allergic, it does not matter how clean the house is, us sensitive people can still smell it, sadly. Its just the way it is for some of us. I pray it changes, but for close to 50 years it has not. 😔

Cats are high maintenance, too! I've had 6 purebred Maine Coons in the last 30 years and every one has required lots of care, every hour of the day! I've sat up nights with them when they were sick, pilled them, taken them to specialty hospitals when needed (even at 4am), groomed them, cleaned up after them, trained them to do tricks, walked them on leashes, taught them English, played with them, snuggled with them, laughed with them, and cried oceans when they passed away. You can't get a cat and then put it on auto-pilot, not if you expect that cat to be all that it can be with you. Maine Coons are extremely intelligent and crave constant input and interaction!

I can't imagine being willing to suffer through allergic reactions just to have a pet. I know I'm severely allergic to cats and would not have a cat for anything > for my husband to suggest such an idea is ludicrous. That does not seem very thoughtful of JInger.

I’m allergic. We have a rescue cat. He’s one of our fur babies. And, yes, a family member. Our pets are incorporated in family pictures right along with the kiddos. I mean when all your human and four legged babies are wearing matching rabbit ears for Easter, and Santa hats for Christmas pictures how can your heart not completely melt—LOL!

If a person has known allergies, it is crazy. My family love pets, but we were forced to give them up. Does anyone want to feel sick and be sick all the time? Not us. Multiple allergists I and my family go too, told us, no pets. Period. And...we were on shots for decades, 2 per week for each of us and nope, we were still allergic to cats even with the allergy shots. 🤔 Best option is to load up on antihistamine, keep the cat in one room only, or give it to another family member.

lol. There are 7 cats and 1 very furry dog in my house. There would be more if I didn't restrain my fur-baby loving hubby. Oh, did I mention he has had pets and pet allergies (and many other types of allergies) his whole life. So sad that you do not understand the joy they bring. Fortunately Jeremy does.

Pet allergies can be bad, but manegable on meds for most people. But for some of us in my family, our throats close up and we end up in the emergency room any time we come in contact with a dog or cat. Its scary not to be able to breathe. It has almost killed us many times. We all have to carry life saving epi pens with us in the event of a reaction. Tack on asthma, and ya, the 7 of us in my family, are NOT candidates for any fur babies. Complete avoidance is what is required for us. Sad, as we used to have tons of pets.

Well Ben sure threw shade at Jinger and Jeremy alluding to them being aloof and stand-offish like a cat! I love how sweet Jeremy is to Jake! Ben and Jessa..Joe and Kendra..hope they don’t ever have pets. They don’t have the compassion for them.

Sort of makes you wonder about the "family tradition" of having pets when two members of the family seem to distance themselves from having pets. I'm beginning to think adopting Jake was Jeremy's idea.

That’s odd. In the decade the Duggars have been on TV we have never seen them show any interest, love or affection toward any animal. And, the only person showing affection toward Jake was Jeremy. Joe, Kendra, Ben and Jessa have zero interest in having a pet.

You must have forgotten earlier episodes like the one where they were getting their dog washed, or where they had found an animal and were keeping it as a pet or when they visited a place with snakes and insects with Anna.

It's ridiculous for I to think you know so much about them to assume they didn't give their pets attention just because you didn't set it televised. Why do you have to assume the worst about them? Couldn't they do things and have interests you aren't aware of? When I read this I just thought it was nice to learn something new about them.

They said they will have them when the children are older,pets are a lot of responsability,when their children are older they will take care of the pets while parents take care of the younger kids,besides dont you know its dangerous to have small kids around pets,they could get scratched or bitten for being a little rough not even knowing what they have done,Felicity was in daddys arms and is too small ti do anything,wait till she starts walking,although I m sure Jinger will be careful and not let her near the cat on her own.

I just caught up on the last few episodes, and one of them had a shot of 3 dogs running out the front door of the main house. I wonder if commenters like this don't actually watch the show, just come over here to spread their negativity.

My family for generations have always been cat people. We love their sense of adventure and their independent nature. We also never met a cat person that was mean. So that says something about us cat people. 😊

Yes it is my business as I full time volunteer for a pet shelter and know the consequences and how irresponsible pet owners can be. The cat is definitely the age it should have been done by and it's not.

I was very oblivious the cat wasn't neutered... anon 8:41 and 5:54 if you don't know how we can tell, you should consult with google, or any pet owner can tell you "how you can tell" it's a little tmi for this blog. 😳 lol

Oh no, and they let it go outside.... I can't believe either of them isn't smart enough to know to neuter a cat. I guess when it does what it's bound to do to mark its territory in the house, the light bulb might go on.

@7:04 I am a pet owner and have owned cats. You cannot tell from the short video clips showing the cat. I see no indications that the cat is marking its territory or is aggressive. And his size is no indication. They could be just be careful as to what he is eating and not over feeding him.

If the cat was fixed after he had developed roaming habits, it would be more difficult to keep the cat in. We had one of those; the cat was always trying to get out. And here, cats are not suppose to roam.

@11:12 Yes it is everyone's business. Unaltered cats that are let out of the house will roam and mark their territory. That will include your car, your bushes, your house, anything else in your yard... If the cat hunts and then uses your garden or your child's sandbox for its litter box, you're in danger of being exposed to toxoplasmosis. That's a real risk for pregnant women. So an unaltered cat is a problem for everyone in the neighborhood and should be everyone's business. @11:15 Unaltered cats do mark, even if you don't see it. Altered cats can also go through the motions of marking, without actually doing it.

Yikes! I had tons of cats growing up. We all became allergic. There is no way we could ever suffer through allergies, because we are so seriously allergic and could end up in the hospital and need to have epi pens with us at all times to use to save our lives. Hopefully, Jeremy is not tha allergic, or else the cat may need to eventually go. Allergies are miserable and can in some be debilitating, much as we SO love pets its not worth our lives. Pray Jeremy can handle it longterm. Also, I am Italian too and many in our nationality have severe allergies too, so not surprised to hear he is allergic. Poor guy.

They have proven having furry pets in the home improves a child’s immunity. Kids with pets have far fewer allergies if any at all. So good for little Felicity! I’m Italian & love pets. I don’t have any allergies and grew up with cats.

Well it didnt have any immune benefits for our family owing the dozen or so cats and dogs we had, we were told to rehome our pets by multiple drs. It was incredibly hard to do that, but our allergies and asthma continued to spiral out of control until it got so bad, we ended up having 2 of us with our throats swelling closed. That was pretty much the decision, give up the pets or risk death again. So they went. 😔

There is an On-Line pet company that sells cat brushes and combs that really helps to eliminate cat hair. I have a semi long haired cat for which it has made all the difference in allergy symptoms and cat hair all over. I no longer have to vacuum daily. It also helps to take a wet paper towel and once a day, wash the cat’s coat with a few quick swipes before they run to hide. I hope Jeremy or Jinger reads this. I promise it will help.

Wow! Thank you! You don’t need to print this for the public unless you think it’s ok. The Company name is “Chewy “ and the comb and brush are green. I believe the dog brush and comb were a different color, so make sure they get the green ones. Thanks again! Rosemary

Jeremy adopts a cat. Then Jinger starts talking about all the pets the family had that were never mentioned on any previous shows the Duggar family appeared in. Jessa and Joe didn't seem to be on the same page as Jinger on the family pets.

They showed videos of various pets. The kids were younger in the videos. Do you think they shrunk the kids and made the videos to appear to have pets years ago? Maybe the videographer asked that most of the time the animals be put up while filming. Who knows? Why does it matter?

It is so nice of Jeremy to take care of the cat even with his allergies.It is also great for Felicity. I remember the Duggars on one show of theirs finding cats and kittens in a wall of a house that they were remodeling. They took them home and kept them.

Hopefully Joe and Kendra will loosen up and let their children enjoy animals including cats at home. It is great to love animals and have them show their love back to you.I have a cat that loves to be pet constantly. She is just so sweet and took such great care of her kittens. She was pregnant when I found her and I had her spayed after the kittens. She is a joy.

There is allergy treatments you can do to improve your immunity to the allergen. My husband got injections for cats over a 3 year period, all supervised by his doctor, to help him get rid of his allergy. It worked great. He doesn't even take benadryl anymore now for our two cats.

We got 2 shots per week, 3 of us in our family did that for 20 years, it did not work for us sadly....at least with the cat allergies. We had some improvement in other allergy areas, but not much...so ultimately decided to stop the injections. But they can work for most people thankfully.

My husband has severe cat allergies. We often have to leave peoples houses quickly that have indoor cats. He loves cats and thinks their great, but unfortunately the dermatologist said there is no long term solution and cat allergies will only get worse with exposure. We therefore have two dogs who are definitely part of our family especially since we cannot have children. I like how Jessa admits they don't have enough time for a dog. It shows maturity.

Dog allergies are way less then cat allergies. We did have a dog for awhile, then birds, eventually we became allergic to them. Now that we dont own any fury pets, our cat allergy has stayed severe still, but the dog and bird allergy is just minimal and so therefore is less of a risk to us. We have owned lizards for 20 years and now years later, some of our kids get itchy from them, as our lizards are old and have gotten harder to keep clean. But still, its a very minimal sensitivity and for the most part lizards are not allergy inducing. Bearded dragons are amazing pets for allergic people.

Generally lizards who do not have proper heat lamps after eating are suseptible to Samonella as lizards are cold blooded, but if kept properly, the risk is very low. We have had tons of pet lizards for nearly 30 years and have had zero issues. Our lizards, though are kept right up against windows, so they get both natural light and the heat lamps, so they are super healthy and live a very long time, our current 4 are all over 10 years old and doing great.

Also, we always wash hands or use hand sanitizer after handling our lizards and each of our lizards also get a bath weekly and gets weekly cleaned tanks, so ours stay super clean and very sanitary. We have currently, 1 bearded dragon, 1 leopard gecko,1 mali uromastyx and 1 yellow niger uromastyx but we have had all kinds of lizards over the years including big iguanas. But, with our allergies the smaller lizards are better to keep super clean. The bigger ones had huge enclosures and were more upkeep overall. Since our home is kept ridiculously clean with our family of 8 who have serious life threatening allergies, normal aquariums are way easier to keep up to that standard. But for allergic people, lizards make great pets. The uromastyx are easy to care for but dont like to be held as much. Our leopard gecko is easy to care for and enjoys being held. Our bearded dragon is so sweet and VERY calm and prefers to be held all day. He actually loves to be swaddled and cuddled nonstop rather then be alone. As a baby, he would run up our arm from his aquarium and then crawl up to be cuddled. He did not want to be by himself and literally acts like a cat. So we nicknamed our lap lizard because he wants to be with us at all times. So ya, the right lizard can be incredible pets. As with any pet, choosing the right one for yourself is important. We could not have fur babies or feathered friends anymore, so we got pet lizards and we have enjoyed them for 3 decades. For us not having any pets was wrong for us, but if our allergies were cured now, we today would still choose lizards. Hindsight has shown us, lizards are best for our family, who knew?

Yes what started out as wanting a pet and only being able to pick pets that are allergy friendly has turned out to ultimately be our 1st choice pet for us now. Ironic, but true. We are FOR pets, we feel as a family we love having them and pets truly do bring so much meaning and love to our family. But cats and dogs are not the only pets a family can choose...and we are the happy proof that each family can find what works for them, and our lizards and lap lizard are amazing, we are blessed to have them.

I love animals! ❤️ I am so happy they have adopted a cat into the family. Kids learn empathy from having pets, plus extra love and fun! I’ve had many pets over my life- cats, dogs, hamsters, and rabbits. Love how kind Jeremy is to Jake the cat! Hope we see more of Jake on the TV show.

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Welcome to the premiere source for factual, encouraging updates on Jim Bob & Michelle Duggar and their 19 kids (TLC's 19 Kids and Counting & Counting On). Our site is not maintained by the Duggars, but we (Lily and Ellie) are personal friends of the family.